LASP director receives AGU’s highest honor

The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has selected LASP Director Daniel Baker as its 2018 William Bowie Medal recipient. AGU’s highest honor, the William Bowie Medal, is given annually to one honoree in recognition of “outstanding contributions for fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research.”

Baker is one of 33 individuals to be recognized this year for their dedication to science for the benefit of humanity and their achievements in Earth and space science. Baker will receive his award during the Honors Tribute at the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, December 12, 2018, in Washington, D.C.

Bruce Jakosky, LASP associate director for science, said, “The AGU’s recognition of Dr. Baker with the William Bowie Medal reflects his outstanding scholarship and leadership in space science and the broader field of space weather and solar physics.”

The William Bowie Medal was established in 1939 in honor of William Bowie for his spirit of helpfulness and friendliness in unselfish cooperative research. In addition to being the first president of AGU (1920–1922), Bowie was also the first recipient of this medal. Another notable recipient of the medal, in 1977, was James Van Allen, Baker’s mentor during his tenure at the University of Iowa.

In addition to being LASP director, Baker is a University of Colorado Boulder Distinguished Professor of Planetary and Space Physics, Professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, and Professor of Physics. He holds the Moog-Broad Reach Endowed Chair of Space Sciences at CU. His primary research interest is the study of plasma physics and energetic particle phenomena in planetary magnetospheres and in the Earth’s vicinity. He conducts research in space instrument design, space physics data analysis, and magnetospheric modeling.